best 4g phone for a new smartphone user

Hello all, I am unsure which phone: epic, evo, or nexus s, is an appropriate phone for someone new to smartphones. I have heard the nexus s is better if you want to void your warranty and do crazy things to your phone. It has some interesting features but is it better than the Epic and still ok for a new user? Or is the Evo still a better phone?

I just need the basic email, games, social networking etc. The cameras are not so important to me and a QWERTY keyboard isn't necessary. Bottom line: it should run smoothly without crashing and provide good battery life.

I think the Evo Shift is well-rounded enough for a new smartphone user. It has most features that the Evo has, Htc Sense to manage your social networking, and I haven't heard of any big software issues with it.

EVO is only popular that's it. I recommend Nexus S. In fact, EVO Shift and Samsung Epic are better than the EVO. EVO have battery issue. Epic is a battery friendly phone and the AMOLED screen is 20% sharper, brighter and battery efficient. I can't wait for the Nexus S.

you must have a bad epic, mine flies and the CPU is faster than the evos for 3D gaming, the evo hangs sometimes going between menus. The 2.2 OS for epic has a buiolt in talk killer thast 2nd to none, love it. My battery on my epic last 11+ hours and I can make an evo last 9-11 hours no problem, all in email and screen settings (BT and WIFI off)

For the money, the LG Optimus S is hands-down the best Android phone you can get with Sprint.

It isn't 4G capable, but for $20 you can get a solid phone with excellent battery life, great reception, surprisingly solid construction and a snappy processor. In other words, it's fast and reliable. It runs Android 2.2 (which allows it to be used as a wireless hotspot) and is likely going to receive the 2.3 update soon.

Get the nexus. I absolutely love my epic, and the nexus is bascially the same phone with improvements. The main selling point for me of the epic was the physical keyboard, and samsung's swipe technology is so good I pratically never use it. While the Evo is always a solid choice the nexus has a better screen (I will never buy a non-AMOLED screen again), and the lack of bloatware from HTC and Sprint will make the phone run much smoother. Nexus hands down.